JAKARTA, Indonesia -- President B.J. Habibie clearly isn't happy with Singapore.
Singapore Strains Relations With Indonesia's President
Asked about the relationship between Indonesia and its tiny neighbor, Mr. Habibie doesn't hesitate. "You see, a friend in need is a friend indeed. I don't have that feeling from Singapore," he says. "I have that feeling from the U.S., from Japan, Australia, mainland China, from Malaysia, from Europe, Germany. But I don't have that feeling [from Singapore]."
That's pretty blunt talk by the standards of Southeast Asia, where government officials usually prefer more elliptical comments about their neighbors. But ties have been strained since former President Suharto stepped down in May and was succeeded by Mr. Habibie.
In February, Singapore elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew was quoted as saying that financial markets were "disturbed" by then-President Suharto's criteria for selection of a vice president. Mr. Suharto had said his deputy should have knowledge of science and technology, which was widely seen as a reference to Mr. Habibie, then the research and technology minister. Mr. Lee said that the market believed that the criteria "pointed to a minister whom they associated with Indonesia's high spending projects. If the market is uncomfortable with whoever is the eventual vice president, the rupiah will weaken again."
A close aide to Mr. Habibie says he was hurt by the comments, and in the interview the president appeared to refer to them again. "I would never character assassinate my friend ... and even my enemy, I would never character assassinate," said Mr. Habibie. "It's against my honor and culture."
To be sure, Mr. Lee wasn't alone in worrying about possible vice presidents. The rupiah plunged early this year on the possibility that Mr. Habibie, who was mostly known for his stewardship of expensive, high-technology projects, might one day succeed Mr. Suharto.
Singapore has long striven to maintain good relations with its giant neighbor. Singapore pledged US$5 billion as part of what's called the "second line of defense" for the rescue package the International Monetary Fund arranged for Jakarta. In addition, Singapore announced plans for a US$3 billion trade guarantee scheme, though Jakarta and Singapore have been unable to agree on details on its workings.
Meanwhile, Mr. Habibie is irked by more than things said before he became vice president. When he took office on May 21, he says, he received congratulations from a host of other nations that day or the next. Singapore, he says, didn't send theirs until "almost June, very late." (In a letter dated May 25, Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong offered his "warmest congratulations" to Mr. Habibie and "sincere good wishes that under your leadership, Indonesia will restore social and political stability, and start on the path of reform and recovery.")
After complaining about the timing of the Singapore note, Mr. Habibie hastens to add: "By the way, I have a lot of Singaporean friends. The Singaporean people are hard-working people, OK, and real good friends."
"I have no, no, no negative attitude, neither plan to have any. But I have to be pragmatic, to see it as it is ... a friend in need is a friend indeed, and I did not have that feeling, and many Indonesians did not have. It's different with the United States, and the United States is so far. Japan, Malaysia, who is so close, they are pro-active. And yet [Singapore] doesn't have that. They are pro-active in the negative direction, and that, I feel so sorry for."
Gesturing across the wood-paneled office, he points to a relief map of Indonesia and the surrounding region mounted on the far wall. "It's OK with me, but there are 211 million people [in Indonesia]," he says. "Look at that map. All the green [area] is Indonesia. And that red dot is Singapore. Look at that."
By RICHARD BORSUK and REGINALD CHUA
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (Aug 1998)
